Three variants of the gold-stamped arms of George James Welbore Agar-Ellis, Baron Dover, politician and patron of the arts, and a key figure in the formation of the National Gallery. The first image is from the cover of William Stewart Rose's Apology addressed to the Traveller's club (1825).

Gold-stamped arms of Sir Edward Dering, from Theophylactus' commentary on St Paul's epistles (London, 1636). Dering began as an aspiring courtier to Charles I, with the Duke of Buckingham as his patron. In 1640 he was elected to the Long Parliament but his subsequent career veered erratically between Royalist and Parliamentarian positions.

The Great Bible, so called because of its size, was the first royally commissioned printed Bible in English. Many copies were produced, but this is one of only two known copies printed on parchment and beautifully illuminated.

Bookplate of Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, British statesman, diplomat, wit and letter-writer, from Lorenz Natter's A treatise on the ancient method of engraving on precious stones (1754).

Given by Francis Puryer White.

Bookplate of John Stuart, Earl of Bute, British Prime Minister 1762-1763, from an Elzevier pocket edition of Severus's Historia sacra (1635). After his short term in office he recommended George Grenville as his successor.

William Cecil, later Baron Burghley, and Elizabeth I's chief minister, entered St John's in 1535, and stayed for six years before embarking on his political career.

Gold-stamped crest of Thomas Egerton, Baron Ellesmere and Viscount Brackley, from a volume containing three works on French administrative and feudal law (all 1610) by Charles Loyseau. The volume also contains a dedicatory inscription to Egerton from John Williams. Egerton was successively Solicitor-General, Attorney-General, Lord Keeper, and Lord Chancellor for Elizabeth I.

A contemporary edition of John Fisher's Treatyse concernynge the fruytfull sayenges of Dauyd the kynge and prophete in the seuen penytencyall psalmes, deuyded in seuen sermons (London: Wynkyn de Worde, 1529), bound for the diplomatist and governo

This copy of the complete works of the leading Reformation theologian Philipp Melanchthon (printed 1562-64) bears extensive manuscript passages in Latin and Greek, dated 1564, on its endpapers and fly-leaves. These were inscribed by various of his pupils at Wittenberg University.

Bookplate of Henry Francis Lyte, author of such hymns as Praise, my soul, the king of heaven and Abide with me, from a volume of 17th century sermons by William Jenkyn. Lyte's extensive library of theology and early English poetry was sold over seventeen days in London.

Given by Francis Puryer White.